Method of and machine for making plated fabrics



Aug. 7, '1928. Mmmm A. E; PAGE ME-'LHGD 0F AND MACHINE FOR MAKING PLATED FABRICS Filed July l2. 1924 2 SheetsfSheet 1 INVENTOR Aifnf. Payea BY HIS ATTORNEYS Aug. 7, 1928.

A. E. FAGE` METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR MAKING PLATED FAB-RIOS Filed July 12, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ALBERT E. PAGE,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF BROOKLYN, NEW' YORK, ASSIGNOR -TO SCOTT WILLIAMS, INGV.,

vQli NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS. l

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR MAKING PLATED FABRICS.

Application led July 12,

l My invention relates to the knitting of plated fabrics, in which two different yarns, commonly of .different colors, are knltted together in such a way thatone kind of yarn shall appear on the back of the fabric while the other kind of yarn appears on the face of the fabric. Plating is frequently em* ployed in the knitting of stockings, particularly mens half hose.

'Ihe object of m3 invention 1s toy provide an improved ,plate knitted fabric w1th longitudina-l stripes by a simplified method and by simple means. By longitudlnal stripes I means stripes. running lengthwlse of the wales.

'llhe fabric itself forms the subject matter of my application Ser. No. 74,367 led December 9, 1925.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a diagrammatic plan of a circle of needles as arranged in a circular knitting machine to produce striping effects according to my invention.

lFig. 2 is a side elevation, drawn to a muchl larger scale to illustrate the action of the needles upon the yarns;

ltd

Fig. 3 is a view of the back of the fabric,

showing how the two yarns are reversed.

My invention may be carried out and emmachines, and for the production of any suitable plated knitted fabric, but for convenience of illustration I will describe my inventionin connection with a circular knitting machine having latch needles, and for the production of a striped stocking.

As is `well understood, in plating, the two different yarns which are to form the two faces' of the fabric are fed together to the needles from unchanged positions, but in such a wayVV and under such conditions of tension that one yarn will be regularly drawn to the face of the knitted fabric while the other yarn will be drawn to the back. Longitudinal striping effects have been produced heretofore in such -fabrics in either of two ways, either by causing the face yarn at certain wales to float behind the other yarn, or by forcibly pushing or drawing sinker wales of one face yarn to the other face of the fabric. The rst of these two methods is objectionable because it complicates the machine and-the floats diminish the elasticity of the fabric produced, while f the second method can be used only on matid bodied'in either straight or circularknitting 1924. Serial No. 725,625.

needles B whose hooks are set back towards the axis of the cylinder a certain distance, preferably so that the point b of this needle 'B with the backwardly set hook is nearly hut not fully in line with the stem a of the hook of the regular needle A on either side of it, as indicated in F ig. 2. The yarns will lie near the inside of the points b of thel hooks of the needles B and near the inside of the stems a of the regular needles A, and the two kinds of needles will engage the yarns at different positions within their hooks.

i It will be observed that by thus setting certain needles back those needles have been odset in one direction and the hooks of the needles have been put in positions diderentiated in planes normal to the row of needles at any point, as the case may be.

The result of this construction and relative arrangement of the hooks of the striping needle B and adjacent ordinary needles A is that as the needles successivel act on the yarn i. e., are drawn down to form. the new stitches, the stems a of the regular needles draw the backing yarn y over behind the facing yarn a: but the point h of the striping needle will draw the yarn ai over behind the yarn y, thus reversing at this needle the positions of the two yarns compared to those they occupy when acted on by theordinary needles A. The result is that the facing and backing yarns are reversed at and by the striping needles B, bringing that needle `wale of the back face yarn y out to the front of the fabric. This is especially. effective for narrow stripes of one or two needle wales each, but it can be used with a greater number of adjacent needle wales Y l as at otherV needl B at two other' points in the circle of needles, and three adjacent striping needles at two other points, producing correspondingly at different points, single wale stripes and double and triple wale stripes, which may be variouslyjspaced as desired.

l claim as my invention:

1. The method of producing longitudinal tripes in plated fabric, which comprises ee positions, the needles by the positions of their hooks differentiated laterally in planes normal to the course of needles causing the needle wales of the back -yarn to be drawn to the frot face of the fabric when the needles are drawn down, while knitting both yarns together at those needles as well 2. The method of producing longitudinal stri es inplated-fabric, fee ing two yarns in unchanged plating relation to a course of needles whose hooks are offset with relation to each other, in

such manner that thereby the yarns occupy different positions under the hooks where stri ing is desired from those under the hoo where plain plating is desired, then drawing the needle wales of the' backing yarn to the' front of the fabric at the wales Where'stripes are desired, by bringingthe 'needles down to form the new stitches.

` 3. The method of knitting longitudinal stri s in tubular plated fabric, comprising fee ing two' yarns to a circle of latch needles in unchan ediplating relation, in such manner that y the positions of the needle hooks differentiated laterally in planes normalfto the course of the needles, the yarns lie near the insides of the points ofthe hooks where striping is desired and near the inside of the stem of the hooks where striping is not desired, then reversing the yarns where stripes are desired by bringing 'sai ing yarns to the needles from unchanged which comprises the needles down to form the new stitches.

4. A knitting machine having a course of needles and means feeding a plurality. lof yarns to said needles in plating relation, 'd' course of needles containing at the knitting point a needle orl needles where striping is desired with their hooks offset with relation to the needles on either side of them, both the oifset and the adjacent needles being adapted to kiiit all the yarns fed by said feeding means but the offset needles being ada. ted to engage yarns at a position within t eir hooks different from the regular needles, for the purposes set forth.

5. A circular knitting machine having a circle ofindependent needles and means feeding a plurality of yarns to'said needles in plating relation, said circle. of needles containing at the knitting point a needle or needles where striping is desired with their hooks set back with relation to the adjacent needles on either side of them, both the setback and the adjacent needles being adapted to knit all the yarns the set-back needles being adapted to engage yarn at a position within their hooks differ 'ent from the adjacent needles, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The method of producing longitudinal stripes in'iplated fabric, which comprises feeding yarns to the needles from 'unchanged positions, the needles b the positions of their hooks differentiatedvlatera ly in planes normal to the course of the needles causingthe needle wales of the back yarn to be positioned at the front face of the fabric by the completion of the stitch formation, while knitting both yarns together at those needles as well as at other needles.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT E. PAGE,

fed by said means but 

